Lifelong Choices
by NadaZimri
Summary: Decisions in our lives change things. Sometimes the result is good...sometimes not. See how Mockery's decision effected her life.
1. Chapter One

[Disclaimer] I don't own Newsies. Disney does. 'nuff said?  
  
[A/N] This is my very first Newsies story to post...I'm very nervous about all this. PLEASE be nice. Anyways, this plot idea just came to me at the spur of the moment, and I had to write it down before my spark left, as it always seems to. *mutters* Stupid spark... So, read and enjoy...I hope.  
  
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Lifelong Choices  
by Nada Zimri  
  
New York, 1891  
  
"Get outta here ya little bum!"  
  
A large crash was heard as the volatile man threw the "bum" onto a pile of crates that lay in the alley. As the boy righted himself, he watched the irate man re-enter the slum of a pub he'd called home for so long. As he began to stroll through the dank city streets, he thought of all the things that had happened in the past two years. It had all started when his mother died. The two of them had been living at his uncle's pub since his father had died long ago. His uncle had always been nice to him, almost a father figure, until the day that his mother was out of the picture. Since then, everything had continually grown from bad to worse, until tonight when things had finally come to a head.  
  
The boy had taken some money from his uncle earlier in the day in order to pay the mortgage that he always seemed to forget. When his uncle realized that the boy had taken money from him, he was furious. He quickly became drunk, as usual, and didn't really care what the money had been used for. With that, he confronted the boy, smacking him around a bit until finally kicking him into the alley.  
  
And so he found himself, aimlessly roaming the streets, in search of some sort of new home. He continued in this search into the early hours of the morning. As the sun was rising, he sat down on a bench and soon became lost in his thoughts of home. This would not last for long, however.  
  
"Hey you! Wanna buy me pape?" A plump little girl, that appeared to be about his age, asked as she cautiously approached him.  
  
Being so suddenly ripped from his thoughts, the boy numbly looked up at the new figure before him. She didn't look to be the wealthy type; in fact she looked more the street rat type. But she didn't appear to be quite so malnourished as most. She had a look about her, which he thought very cute. Before realizing it, he'd lost himself in staring at her. There was just something about her that appealed to him, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.  
  
"Uh, HELLO! I said, wanna buy me pape?" The girl had grown quite agitated with the prospective customer that was now blatantly staring at her.  
  
"Huh? Oh, umm...I-I-I don't really have money." The boy managed to stutter out.  
  
"That's awright. Figured as much. What's your name kid?"  
  
"KID? I'm just as old as you!"  
  
"Awright, awright. Still, what's your name?"  
  
"My name's...my name's..." A confused look spread across the boy's face as he attempted to remember the name that should have been so easily on the tip of his tongue. "Michael! My name's Michael!"  
  
"Michael, that's a nice name. Not really a newsie name, but that's okay I suppose." The girl stepped back and looked at the boy, as if sizing him up. "So where do ya live, Michael?"  
  
"I-I don't know. I used to live with my uncle, but I guess I can't live there anymore." A sad look spread across the boy's face, and he began to stare off into space once more.  
  
"Well, you can be a newsie then!" The girl said excitedly. At this, she began dragging him off, with him struggling the whole way.  
  
"Wait, what's a newsie?"  
  
"You don't know what a NEWSIE is?" The girl asked with wide eyes. When Michael shook his head, she sighed and said, "It's a kid whose job is ta sell newspapers to people."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So ya wanna be one or what?"  
  
"Guess that's as good as anything." Michael replied scratching his head.  
  
The girl then resumed dragging the boy, then stopped suddenly. "If you're gonna be a newsie though, you're gonna need a newsie name." She stood there deep in thought for a moment then brightly said, "I know. It'll be Skittery, 'cause you seem ta act so shy and skittery."  
  
"Skittery?"  
  
"Skittery!"  
  
The newly dubbed Skittery looked unsure, but then an idea came to him. "W- Well, what's YOUR name?"  
  
"Name's Cordelia, but don'tcha dare call me that. Everybody calls me Mockery. Now c'mon! We gots ta get ya ta Mickey so ya can start being a newsie."  
  
"Who's Mickey?"  
  
"The leader of course!"  
  
While Michael was being drug off to this "Mickey", he thought to himself of how confusing he knew his life was about to become.  
  
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[A/N] Ya know, I was planning on adding more to this chapter, but I feel like bein' a brat and seeing what ya'll think before I spend more of my energy on the story. Believe you me, there's MUCH more to the plot than what's appeared so far. *evil grin* So, lemme know what ya think, and I'll go from there. PLEASE OH PLEASE REVIEW!!! *drops to knees* I'll love ya forever! 


	2. Chapter Two

[Disclaimer] I don't own Newsies...*sigh* must you keep rubbing this OBVIOUS fact in my face?? Oh, I also don't own Squid...that one's ALL Sancti.  
  
[A/N] Oo, would ya looky there? I got reviews!! *happy dance* Guess that means I gotta write more, huh? Umm...just so you know, I can't get my italics to work *grumbles*. So this could get a little confusing. If anybody knows how to get 'em to work, please let me know!! Also, thank you soo much Dakki for spending your time and putting effort into beta reading for me. It's greatly appreciated!!  
  
[Review Responses]  
  
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Sapphy ~ Haha! Hey, that's okay...I like that song *evil grin*. Ohh, you had better have meant that in a loving way...Skitts might get MAD. Not that he's ever not mad, or grumpy, or whatever characteristic you currently wanna attribute to him. Hope ya like this chapter too º¿ô. Okay...that was my sad attempt at a wink...  
  
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et-spiritus-sancti ~ I swear, you are soo impatient. And stop calling me grasshopper, ya lil rugrat!! Hehe, anyways...as you can see, I've now posted the next chapter. Hopefully it'll meet your specs :-P.  
  
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Dakki ~ Hehehe, poor lil Skitts...got Dakki jumpin' on him. *pats Skittery's shoulder* Just give it a few chapters...you'll like it more then. Glad ya liked the whole dumbstruck Skittery thing. *grins* Cornflakes?? Did those exist back then?? OMG, newsies in a can! We could make a fortune!!! By the by, !!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAKKI!!! *smirks* I think I should buy ya JACK model newsie...haha, did you ever read that story??  
  
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Leila3 ~ Thank you! Hehe, you shoulda seen me when I got your review...I was dancing, squealing, freaking people out in general... On second thought, maybe it's good that you DIDN'T see me then. Hope ya like this chapter too!  
  
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Dan ~ Hey, ya liked it, SWEET! *grins* I feel soo special...a guy reviewed!! Glad ya like the names...took me a while to think up Mockery's. Hope ya like this chapter too...ya know, not too girly or anything.  
  
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Now that my severe case of randomness and babbling are over...onto the story!!  
  
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New York, 1900  
  
A cold breeze flew through the bunkroom of the Duane Street lodging house, which was very much akin to the cold month of November that they were entering. No one seemed disturbed by this sudden shiver in the room though. No one but Skittery, that is. The teenaged boy shot out of his bunk like a skittish cat that's just been snuck up on. It took him a few minutes to realize what had startled him so badly, and upon discovering the source, he quickly walked to the washroom, running his hand tensely through his hair. Once there, he leaned his elbows on the counter and examined himself in the mirror.  
  
"Why was I dreaming about Mockery again?" he wondered to himself. It'd been a while since Mockery had... "No, I'm not going to think about that," he resolutely decided. As if confirming to himself that he was not going to let his brain travel down that thought path, he walked back to his bunk and fell asleep once more. And as he slept, his mind returned to the much missed past, which he could now only visit in his dreams.  
  
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"Hurry up ya slowpoke!" The rapidly growing Skittery hollered to his selling partner for the day, Mockery, as he sprinted down the street. Being a 13-year-old boy, his limbs were shooting out at a painfully fast rate, and at most times he hated this recent development. He didn't hate it when he was effortlessly running through the city though. He grinned as he noticed that Mockery was still a good two blocks behind him. Returning to her side, he impishly asked, "Do ya want me to carry ya?"  
  
Looking up from her current stance of being hunched over, attempting to catch her breath, she quickly retorted, "Better watch it, beanpole. I might take ya up on it." She immediately realized what a mistake she'd made, for Skittery circled around her, as if judging whether he could lift her or not, and swiftly lifted her off the ground and began to make his way back to the lodging house. As they neared the front of the building, the newsies that had already returned heard screams and rushed to investigate.  
  
"Put me down NOW! Or so help me, I'll make sure ya NEVER get ta enjoy your manhood!" Mockery screamed from over Skittery's shoulder, her brown hair, having long lost any semblance of the ponytail that once contained her thick mop, spilled onto her face.  
  
Upon seeing this sight, a blonde boy with a patch over one of his blue-gray eyes nearly keeled over with laughter. The other boy, a short dark-haired youth with a deck of cards in his hands, cringed and made a motion to protect his own "manhood". The third of the party, a small Italian girl whom they called Squid, immediately rushed to the aid of her only female ally. Skittery, seeing that he about to be assailed by yet another girl, and also somewhat afraid of Mockery's threat, he promptly dropped her to the ground.  
  
"Ow!" Mockery yelped at being so suddenly acquainted with the hard ground that should have been far below her. Picking herself off the ground she narrowed her eyes at the three boys that found the incident so amusing. "I'll thank ya all ta kindly shut your pie holes!" She was angry and she didn't care who knew it. At noticing her friend's mood, Squid promptly pulled her away from the boys, but not before shooting them all death glares.  
  
"Aw, I dunno what you're so sore about Mock'! I was just doin' what ya asked!" Skittery hollered to the two distancing figures. As they continued to walk inside, Skittery inwardly scolded himself. "How could I do that to her? Now she'll hate me! Stupid Michael. Really STUPID!" He remained staring at them until the card-handling boy that stood next to him ripped him from his thoughts.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout her Skitts, she'll get ova it in no time!" Racetrack tried to reassure his friend. He knew that Mockery wasn't all that mad, but Skittery didn't think so. He was head over heels for that one. Silently, he wondered what would become of his two friends. As Skittery, Racetrack, and Kid Blink stood around for no apparent reason other than not wanting to face the wrath of Squid, they were approached by another one of the newsies; a tall brawny boy that appeared to be a few years their senior strode over to them.  
  
Blink being the first one to notice him said, "Heya Snaps!" A sly grin spread across the elder boy's face as he grabbed a cigarette from behind Race's ear. After lighting the smoke and taking a long drag, which he blew out directly in Skitts' face, he finally spoke.  
  
"Heya Blink. Look, Skitts, you think I don't see you hangin' around me goil, but I do. So ya best be leavin' Mockery alone. Got it?"  
  
"I don't see why I should," Skittery replied, anger welling up inside of him.  
  
"Just making a suggestion, ya might say." Then as swiftly as he had came, Snaps left, leaving the boys to their own thoughts.  
  
As Race mumbled something in Italian about his cigarette, the boys made their way inside the lodging house. They had no sooner entered the building, than a smiling Squid approached them. "Mock and I have agreed to forgive you boys, va bene? But you must eat my new creazione."  
  
Grumbles were heard all around, but in the end, the boys didn't want either of the two resident girls mad at them. As Skittery sat down to eat the "meal" he glanced at Mockery to see if he could tell whether she was back to her normal self yet. Upon seeing the grin on her face, he knew she was.  
  
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"Skittery! Wake up!"  
  
"Wha...?" Skittery soon realized that it was time to get up and go out to sell the papes. As he creeped to the washroom, he thought about the second dream he'd had about Mockery that night. He just couldn't get over her, no matter how hard he tried. If he closed his eyes, he could see her. Her long brown hair, her matching brown eyes, her soft curves that were so well hidden beneath her typical loosely hanging pants and shirt. He could see her selling her papes on the corner, sitting at a booth in Tibby's. He saw her everywhere.  
  
Seeing Skittery zoning out in the middle of the busy washroom, the already dressed leader of the Manhattan newsies pulled him back into the bunkroom. "Thinkin' about Mockery again?" Jack asked with a sympathetic look on his tired face.  
  
"Always am." Skittery replied with a weak smile.  
  
Nodding Jack put his arm around Skittery as they made their way down the stairs. "Well if ya ever wanna talk 'bout it..." Jack then pulled his cowboy hat up onto his head and walked out the door. Realizing that he was now downstairs, and not dressed, Skittery embarrassedly ran back upstairs and quickly accomplished the task.  
  
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{Okay, now bear with me here...this is an ALTERNATE ending...if ya don't wanna read it don't, but it's my own LITTLE salute to Dakki's sweet 16}  
  
"Skittery! Wake up!"  
  
"Wha...?" Skittery soon realized that it was time to get up and go out to sell the papes. As he crept to the washroom, he thought about the second dream he'd had about Mockery that night. He just couldn't get over her, no matter how hard he tried. If he closed his eyes, he could see her. Her long brown hair, her matching brown eyes, her soft curves that were so well hidden beneath her typical loosely hanging pants and shirt. He could see her selling her papes on the corner, sitting at a booth in Tibby's. He saw her everywhere.  
  
Seeing Skittery zoning out in the middle of the busy washroom, the half- dressed leader of the Manhattan newsies pulled him back into the bunkroom. "Thinkin' about Mockery again?" Jack asked with a sympathetic look on his tired face.  
  
"Always am." Skittery replied with a weak smile.  
  
Nodding Jack put his arm around Skittery as they made their way down the stairs. "Well if ya ever wanna talk 'bout it..." Jack then pulled his cowboy hat up onto his head and walked toward the door.  
  
Suddenly noticing that Jack was only half-dressed, Skittery called out to him. "Hey Jack!"  
  
"Yeah Skitts?"  
  
"How come ya ain't wearin' a shirt?" A thoroughly bewildered Skittery asked.  
  
"Well, Dakki dared me to go shirtless for a day, and seein' as it's her birthday...I'm goin' shirtless!" Jack replied grinning, and as he walked out the door he called over his shoulder. "Besides, look who's talkin'!"  
  
At noticing that he too was not exactly dressed, Skittery embarrassedly ran back upstairs to quickly accomplish the task.  
  
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[A/N] Well?? Whatcha think?? Does it suck fully? Haha, I'm just a little bit insecure here :-P. Anyways, R & R PLEASE!!! 


	3. Chapter Three

[Disclaimer] I don't own Newsies, Disney does...sort of. I mean TECHNICALLY, the writers of the script own Newsies, but whatever floats your boat. I'm not making any money off of this. If I were, this would be on a much better computer that would upload italics! Also, the character Squid is owned by et-spiritus-sancti, not myself.  
  
[A/N] Well here's chapter three...this is actually a record for me. Heh, I've never really gotten past chapter two in a story before. Oh, and once again, thanks Dakki for beta reading. It'd look like crap if ya didn't...and we both know it! Anyways, happy reading ya'll!  
  
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"Same to you, you...asino!" A highly discombobulated Squid shouted as she was thrown out the back door of a restaurant. _"Well there's number 583..."_ Squid thought to herself. Since she had come to New York she had been trying to get a job as a cook, seeing as cooking was her one true love, and it paid a lot better than selling newspapers. But everywhere she went, they always had a seemingly good reason to not hire her. _"'You're_ _too young, you're a girl...you're a foreigner.' They always have some sort of stupid excuse. They never even let me demonstrate my abilities!"_ As she walked around the corner muttering something in Italian, she came upon two of her fellow newsies, who were at present arguing about something.  
  
"C'mon Skitts! You can't skulk around forever. Mock wouldn't want that! Just come ta Sheepshead with me." Racetrack said as he dug through his pockets attempting to figure out how much he could afford to gamble away that day.  
  
"I already told ya Race, I don't want to go anywhere, especially not all the way to Brooklyn!" A thoroughly exasperated Skittery replied as he looked around. Noticing Squid, he called her over. "Besides, I think Squid wants ta go with you."  
  
"Go where?" A confused Squid asked.  
  
"Sheepshead."  
  
"Uhh...Non parlo Inglese.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Race took a quick puff off his cigar then looped arms with Squid before walking away from Skittery. "You'll hafta get over it someday ya know!" He shouted over his shoulder as he and Squid began the long trek to the racetrack. As they walked, an unusual lull in conversation hit the pair. Suddenly it occurred to Squid what Racetrack and Skittery had been talking about.  
  
"Race, do you think Skittery will ever get over Mockery?"  
  
Sighing, he replied, "doesn't look like it."  
  
"I wish there was something I could do. He won't talk to me though."  
  
"Yeah, me either."  
  
A brand new lull set itself upon them as they thought about their two friends, one whom still worried them and the other whom they no longer could worry for. At the thought of a distant memory, Squid began to giggle uncontrollably.  
  
"What ARE ya laughin' at?" Race asked. He himself was still caught up in dismal thoughts, and hence, couldn't quite comprehend what the source of his companion's laughter could be.  
  
"Just...thinking about...something." She squeaked out through her giggles.  
  
"Well...?" Race waited for her to tell him what she was thinking about, but when she didn't he grew frustrated. "C'mon Squid! You can't do that. You hafta tell me what you're talkin' about."  
  
"Va bene! Just give me a minute to COMPOSE myself." Giving Racetrack a death glare, she took a few deep breaths before telling him what she had been thinking of.

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_"There really is no kind way to say this to you Mockery...so I shall be blunt. You smell!" Squid was highly perturbed with Mockery's present fear of bathing, due to the possibility of one of the boys walking in on her. She understood that it was because the now fifteen year old girl, who was two years her senior, had just started developing, and she also knew that that was not an easy task when you lived with many of guys and only one girl._ "But I'm going through the same things...and 'I' still bathe...and she really does smell horrible after a MONTH of not bathing." _The petite Italian girl thought to herself.  
  
"Aw, I'll take a bath EVENTUALLY, Squid."  
  
"No. You shall do it NOW!" She retorted, her dark brown curls shaking with her head. "There is no good reason why you shouldn't bathe. After all, 'I' do it all the time."  
  
The two girls walked through the bunkroom, Mockery being unknowingly backed into the washroom. The realization of where she was finally hit her as she rammed into the bathroom counter.  
  
As the sudden twinge of pain hit her in the derrière, she yelped, and then hissed "Gemma Lucia Deliberto! You know perfectly well why I don't wanna take a bath!" At hearing the yelp, two boys popped their heads in from the bunkroom. "And there's TWO reasons right there!"  
  
Sighing dismally, Squid walked back into the bunkroom then said rather loudly, "All right boys, I tried!"  
  
After she had said this, four of the older boys walked in, each carrying an item to be used for Mockery's bath. Grinning like four Cheshire cats, they all swiftly closed in on her, causing her to feel like a cornered animal. As Snaps reached forward to take hold of her elbow, she swatted at him with a look of extreme fear overshadowing her features.  
  
"Now Mock...we tried bein' nice 'bout all this...but you wouldn't listen ta Squid...so now we hafta take this matter into our own hands. No offense...but ya DO smell pretty awful." Snaps said appearing to look sympathetic. Then with that, he scooped her up and plopped her into the tub of water that was waiting for her. "And since you're so shy all of a sudden...we'll bathe ya WITH your clothes on."  
  
And this was how Skittery found his friends in the lodging house that day. Most watching through fits of laughter, but a few actually trying to hold down the yowling Mockery while her bathers proceeded. As he approached the scene, he said the first thing that popped into his head. "What the HELL are ya doing ta her?" When no one responded he stood there a moment, scratching his head, as if trying to decide what to do. He took so long standing there, that they were finally done with her. After Snaps had dumped the flailing brunette out onto the hard floor, she hastily got up and ran to the only place she could think of...the roof. Running as fast as one can in sopping wet clothes and shoes, she finally got there slipping and sliding the whole way.  
  
Skittery sighed, and then turned toward the stairs that led to the roof. He slowly made his way up there, not sure of what he would say or do when he got there. He was, however, unaware that Squid was following him.  
  
As he approached the soaked-to-the-bone girl, he noticed that she was shaking. Seeing as they were in the middle of the summer, and the heat was nearly unbearable making it improbable that she was cold, he knew that she must have been crying. If there was one thing Skittery knew, it was that Mockery plain and simply didn't cry. That was Squid's thing. He sat down next to the girl and putting a nervous arm around her shoulders, he asked, "Wanna talk about it?"  
  
Now normally she would've simply shrugged him off and stalked off with a defiant no, but then again, normally she wouldn't have been crying. So Skittery was highly shocked as she threw herself into his arms sobbing uncontrollably, nearly causing him to fall off of the roof's edge that the two were sitting on.  
  
"I-I just wanted ta wait so I could do it when nobody was around..." she hiccupped out. "You guys, ya don't hafta worry 'bout everybody coming in and embarrassing ya. And it's not as if there's even really a DOOR there!"  
  
Resting his chin on her head as he gently ran his fingers over her tangled hair, he asked, "Well what'd ya used ta do? An' for another thing...why is it such a big deal all of a sudden?"  
  
Mockery pulled away slightly and looked at their feet. "I dunno. It didn't really matter before. But things have started ta change ya know?"  
  
"No, I don't really know..."  
  
"No, I guess ya wouldn't." She said, smiling slightly as she looked out at the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.  
  
And as she stood, hair and clothes blowing in the hot breeze, he noticed something for the first time. Somewhere in the past couple of weeks she'd changed from the adorable girl he'd had a crush on for as long as he could remember, into a striking woman. At least in appearance, that is.  
  
"Whatcha gawkin' at ya bum?" She asked with a smirk.  
  
"Uh...um..." he seemed to manage to stutter out.  
  
"Knew I shoulda named ya Stuttery."  
  
As the two gasped for air through their giggles, Squid, who was fighting off laughter as well, crept back down to the bunkroom. Since she was backing her way down, she didn't notice the tall boy standing directly behind her.  
  
"Heya kiddo."  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" She squeaked, thoroughly startled.  
  
"Sorry Gemma...didn't mean ta scare ya." Jack said, a smirk on his face. His expression turned more serious though as he asked. "Is Mock okay?"  
  
"How should I know?"  
  
"Well, seein' as you're her friend...and ya were just up there eavesdroppin' on her and Skitts..."  
  
"She'll be fine." She responded, sighing.  
  
"That was an awful dirty trick of Snaps and Mickey ta pull on her."  
  
"But she smelled! How would you like to be stuck sleeping under that stench?" As she said this, Squid's face scrunched up horribly.  
  
As Jack laughed and walked away, Squid said to herself under her breath, "Not that Skittery minded too terribly."_

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As Squid retold the events that were playing through her mind, Racetrack started laughing hysterically at the thought of the memory. He especially seemed to enjoy the part when Mockery got thrown into the washtub. Once she was finished with her recollection, the two realized that they had reached their destination. Sighing, they walked into the ticket booth so Racetrack could place the bets for his latest "leads".  
  
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[Review Responses]  
  
**et-spiritus-sancti -** They finally fixed their italics problem!! Now the only thing is when you go to do an action, you have use parentheses. Grr!! LoL, you actually haven't called me grasshopper since that last review...how odd. Yes yes, I haven't told ya quite everything...hope ya like this chapter, even if there is only a paragraph that ya haven't heard/read, LoL.  
  
**Leila3 (BlackWiltedRose) -** (gasp) I finally updated!! And they said it couldn't be done... Well, I don't think anyone really said that, but whatever. Ya liked the alternate ending, ay? That actually started out as an odd little blooper and ended up a b-day present, LoL. (shrugs shoulders) All I know is it made me giggle so hard I was crying when I first found the blooper (grins).  
  
**MiseryLovesCompany** **- **Misery...read...my story... (goes into shock). Please excuse me, hehe. It's just...you're one of my favorite authors so I was quite near fainting when I saw your review. You had a newsie named Mockery? I don't remember that...I'm gonna hafta go look now, LoL. And I do the adjective name thing too! I always bring out the good ol' thesaurus... Glad ya like Mockery, she's my pride and joy (beams). And yes, there aren't enough straight Skittery stories out there (shudder).  
  
**Smiley Cad** **-** Hehe, glad ya liked it. (sigh) ff.net can be such a self- esteem booster... (smacks self back into reality) Anyways, yeah...I think I will continue this one. Like I said in the beginning...it's a landmark for me to get past chapter 2!! By the way...I like your penname, where'd ya come up with it?  
  
[A/N] Well...I hope ya'll like it. It's a lot longer than the previous chapters. PERSONALLY...I didn't like it...but that's just me. And I am an odd duck after all. Then again I could just be frustrated because these are all kinda introductory chapters...I dunno. Anyways, lemme know what ya'll think. Thanks for reading!!


	4. Chapter Four

**[Disclaimer]** I don't own the movie Newsies...Disney does... (looks timidly at the gun barrel that currently resides shoved into her back) I-I said what you told me to...now point that thing elsewhere PLEASE. Haha, just kiddin'. I also don't own Squid, who is owned by et-spiritus-sancti, and I don't own Trinket Box, who is owned by Smiley Cad. Oh, and not that anybody would truly notice...but I stole a little line from the movie "My Girl 2", so yeah, I don't own it either. (sighs unhappily)  
  
**[A/N] **Another chapter, another new record for me. (cheers happily) Anywho, I hope you guys all like this chapter. It shall be the last filler chapter before I finally take that treacherous plunge into the actual plot, hehe. Oh, and yes...there is actually a plot that is still coming...I just haven't gotten there yet 'cause my lazy butt is too...well...lazy! Also, special thanks to Dakki for beta-reading for me yet again. (weeps) You put up with so much...thank you!! Anyways, on with the chapter!  
  
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Just as the mid-day sun was settling upon the bustling city, a blonde sprite of a girl approached the lodging house timidly. The girl, who could barely be considered a woman as of yet, stood on the front stoop staring at the door. Looking cautiously at her surroundings, she now realized how utterly out of place she looked in her pink hoop-skirted dress and ornately braided bun. Though she was far more commonly dressed than normal, she could now see that this attire would not do for long. She could also see that simply staring at the door would not do her much good either. She knocked on the door, and when no one responded, she decided that she might as well go inside.  
  
As the girl walked in she saw a kindly looking old man sitting behind a desk, reading what appeared to be a novel of some kind. The man looked up, rather startled at the new face that seemed fairly familiar to him.  
  
"Is there anything I can do for ya, miss?" the man asked as he came from behind his roost to greet the girl.  
  
The girl nervously looked at him, and then pulling a slip of paper from her pocket she said, "I'm looking for a...Miltiades Kloppman?"  
  
"Looks like ya just found him." Kloppman replied smiling.  
  
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.  
  
As the exceedingly rowdy group of newsboys, and newsgirl, crowded back into the lodging house for the evening, Kloppman motioned for them to be quiet. "We've got a new one...and the poor kid's had a hard day...so shut your traps!"  
  
"Aw c'mon Kloppman. If he's gonna be stayin' here with us, he's gonna hafta get used to the noise." Jack said, his brown eyes filled with mischief.  
  
"First off, Kelly, he is a she. Second, she'll get used to all the racket tomorrow after I drag your sorry rears outta the bunks. For now, give her a break, okay?"  
  
"O' course." Jack, as well as several of the other newsies, responded.  
  
After this brief exchange, the tired old man was suddenly bombarded with a game of twenty questions.  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Where'd she come from?"  
  
"Whose bunk is she stayin' in?"  
  
At hearing this last question, the thoroughly disgusted Squid backhanded the person who had asked, Kid Blink, and proceeded upstairs to get a look at the new girl.  
  
When she caught sight of the sleeping figure, she suddenly grasped the fact that this girl had taken over Mockery's old bunk. She soon figured out that the group's new addition must be a light sleeper, because almost immediately after Squid walked into the room, the girl shot up out of the bed.  
  
"Hello kid. What's your name?"  
  
"My name is Esme."  
  
"Esme?" Squid asked, scrunching her face up. "Isn't that some sort of noise that your nose makes?"  
  
"No, it's not." Esme replied angrily. "It is my mother's middle name."  
  
"Oh...well I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult your mother." Squid said softly. At seeing Esme's features soften as well, the dainty Italian moved toward their now shared bunk. Upon seeing a small ornate box sitting on the top bunk, which now belonged to the new girl, she decided to ask her about it. "What's that...box?"  
  
"Oh, it's a trinket box my mother gave me."  
  
"Trinket?"  
  
"Yes, like some sort of small pretty thing."  
  
The two girls were surprised to notice that Mush had come into the bunkroom, and had heard their conversation.  
  
"Sounds like da perfect description of you, doll." Mush said as he approached the two girls. "Say, why don't we call ya that?"  
  
Blushing slightly, Esme innocently twirled her finger through her bouncy, golden curls as she asked, "Call me what?"  
  
"Trinket. Ya know, instead of whatever your real name is." Mush replied, grinning happily at seeing the blush forming on Esme's face.  
  
"Aww, it's so sweet...I think I'll go dispose of the contents of my stomach now." Squid said and she walked back down the stairs, now even more disgusted than when she came up them.  
  
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.  
  
As Kloppman made his nightly rounds making sure that all of his boisterous charges were indeed sleeping, he heard a muffled sound coming from the direction of the two girls. Assuming that it was his new girl, Esme, or Trinket as the boys were now calling her, he popped his head up near the top bunk. Seeing that she was fast asleep, he looked down at Squid. Sure enough, the sound of crying was coming from her.  
  
Stooping down so he could talk to her without disturbing the others he asked, "What's the matter, Gemma?"  
  
The girl was more than slightly surprised at the man who had not only noticed her pitiful state, but also called her by her given name. "Nothing's the matter, Mr. Kloppman."  
  
"Stop calling me that!" He pointedly whispered, as he poked the small teen. "And I know that whereas ya _do _cry a lot...ya don't cry for no reason. Especially not in the middle of the night with no audience ta see ya." He winked as he said his last sentence.  
  
She smiled slightly, and then said tentatively, "I-I just really miss Mockery!" As she said this, a whole new rush of tears came.  
  
At seeing her so upset, the old man reached out and embraced the girl that he thought of as his daughter. "I know ya do sweetheart. We all do." After waiting a few moments for Squid to calm down, Kloppman looked at the girl and said, "Now if I might ask, what brought this up all o' a sudden?"  
  
"Well, it's just with the new girl and such..." she managed to hiccup out. "I've been thinking about Mockery more. I suppose in truth, I just wasn't ready for her place to be filled up yet."  
  
The man nodded then said quietly, "I understand. Just please try not to take it out on her. And try ta make friends...she'll need a girl to be with sooner or later."  
  
With that the old man walked away, and Squid lay back down, shortly falling asleep. From the top bunk, however, Trinket lay wide-awake trying to sort out what she had just heard. After thinking about it for a time, she resolved to ask one of the boys about it the next day.  
  
.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.  
  
**[Review Responses]  
**  
**Dakki –** Haha! Well, thank ya dearly! Good luck havin' kids with my fic though...(grins). I swear it took me a full minute to figure out that last sentence o' yours. Then I read it aloud and was like ohh!! Aww... Anyways, thanks!!  
  
**RiotAct –** Hehe, it would appear that Squid has turned out to be a real winner. But hey, who couldn't love her? She's like...a younger female Racetrack...well, sort of. Anyways, yes, HORRIBLE boys. (joins Misery's raised fist) Hmm...do ya think that maybe if we can get 998 more fists raised, we can get a separate washroom for our gals?? Thanks for readin', I hope ya like this chapter too. (nervously bites fingernails)  
  
**Et-spiritus-sancti –** Wow...somebody was on an Aragorn HIGH when they updated...hehe. Yeah, I know whatcha mean about the Jack talkin' ta Squid thing. I always get that way when I read a story I sent a CC in to. Aww, can ya really tell that with the dialogue?? Aww! I hope this chapter is as good... And thanks for fiddlin' around...it gave me another review (cheers). Ya know this is the first chapter I'm gonna post without reading it to ya first? I feel so...self-conscious...  
  
**BlackWiltedRose –** Yes that is awesome about our b-days. By the by, I think I read in your profile that you live in Ohio...creepiness...so do I. Haha, anyways...thank you!! I tried to make that chapter funny...I guess it worked. I hope ya like this chapter as well.  
  
**Smiley Cad –** You have a truly awesome name...Cadriana...I love it! I hope ya get to read this chapter before you leave for camp. That would be stinkiness if you didn't!! Please tell me what ya thought...did I get Trinket right? I hope so...  
  
**[A/N]** Whew! I guess I'm done with this chapter...what'd ya'll think? I know it's kinda short and it might seem kinda outta place, but believe me...it has a point!  
  
Knox: Now now...you and I both know that it really doesn't...  
  
Shut up, obKNOXious! It does too. Besides, you wouldn't know anyways... You haven't _quite_ figured out how to get into my mind yet.  
  
Knox: (grins) That's what you think.  
  
(shudders) Hehe, for those of you that have NO idea who the heck my Knoxy- poo is (pinches cheek)...he's one of the oh-so fabulous preps from "Dead Poets Society"...great movie by the way... Dakki helped me kidnap him, and she took Dalton _long_ ago...but there are still a few others up for grabs if ya act fast. They make great muses as well as typists. Don'tcha Overstreet?  
  
Knox: (grumbles)  
  
Anyways, please review! I'll simply keel over and die if you don't! (pouts)  
  
Knox: (whispers) Please don't...if you don't I won't have to write any more...  
  
(clamps hand over Knox's mouth) Don't listen to him... Anyways, hope ya all liked the chapter!!


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